Job Description

Are you a seasoned program manager who is actively working on racial justice, liberation, and dismantling conventional systems? Are you a skilled facilitator and guide who can foster deep collaboration and co-development between local government practitioners and members of the community? Are you looking for an opportunity to work towards transforming conventional engagement models to generate impactful outcomes in the movement toward just, resilient, and sustainable neighborhoods and communities? 

As a member of the Direct Support and Innovation (DSI) team, the Program Manager will support and help to co-design and co-deliver deep transformational learning sessions with local government teams and community members. The ideal candidate will be experienced and skilled in providing coaching, facilitation for teams and large groups, and have exceptional skills to manage large multi-community projects while holding opportunities for innovation and transformative action. In this role, you will help to co-design and deliver innovative processes and methods that assist local government practitioners to become more proactive, anticipatory, respectful, and effective agents of change. 

The DSI Team develops, designs, and supports innovative processes and projects with USDN members and partners. The team supports members in piloting and testing these new concepts and adjusting approaches to support more collaboration and respect with partners. The team creates and provides opportunities for members to push beyond the norm and to ideate and apply innovative approaches that create more just, sustainable, and climate prepared communities. As a member of the DSI Team, the Program Manager will support members through program conceptualization, design, facilitation, coaching and guidance in several areas:

1. Transformational Practices: Deep and impactful transformation of local government structures, policies and practice. This includes centering racial equity and shifting of power in planning and project work; integrating whole human approaches and design; tracking qualitative metrics for success; and exploring new ideas with community members and partners.
2. Innovative Approaches: Experiment with and evaluate new and innovative approaches to equity-centered climate and sustainability initiatives and projects and support members and their community members in taking action.
3. Anticipatory Development and Design: Anticipate near and long term challenges and opportunities facing members and their stakeholders who are involved in DSI programs and design proactive and adaptable solutions.
4. Support Affinity Spaces: Ability to hold space and support groups with shared identities and ideologies to cultivate a greater sense of belonging and ability to work with others outside of a particular affinity space.  

Examples of recent USDN Direct Support and Innovation include:

• The USDN Nexus Guidance and training series
• The USDN Resilience Hub website and resources
• The USDN New and Improved Hazard Mitigation Plan

Responsibilities

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Focus

• Cultivate and maintain professional competency in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). EDI is a central goal, fundamental value, and required competency for the practice of sustainability and climate change. USDN staff cultivate EDI skills and competencies through personal practice and training.
• Emphasize EDI principles in the design and delivery of support and throughout the performance of job responsibilities. The position will advance EDI principles as a characteristic of responsible governance, where all levels of government have a fiscal and moral responsibility to address the long-term implications that inequity has on prosperity, health, and safety of residents.
• Identify and respond to EDI challenges that members are experiencing.
• Commitment to social justice and anti-racist principles.

Supporting Projects and Programs

• Support team projects and programs including tracking deadlines, scheduling, coordination with internal and external parties to support the effective delivery of programs.
• Contribute to usdn.org website and materials that USDN may develop to broadly share to influence the field of practice.
• Manage communication with members and partners and use internal databases to track direct support and innovation program offerings and opportunities.

Facilitation and Coaching

• Assist in the design and delivery of adaptive and innovative learning programs.
• Provide coaching to sustainability practitioners that is rooted in transformative and regenerative practices.
• Support and facilitate affinity spaces.
• Guide learning in spaces that are not curriculum-led

Communications and Relationship Building

• Support cross-team and cross-staff collaboration within USDN.
• Share learnings and ideas within the DSI team and with other internal teams and seek to learn from their experiences and perspectives.
• Establish positive working relationships and cooperative arrangements with key programmatic partner organizations.

• Foster engagement, camaraderie, collaboration, and clarity within a remote environment.
• Co-develop a clear work plan that aligns with an integrated team plan.
• Participate as an effective team member.
• Pre-event coordination, event support, post-event documentation and maintenance.

Qualifications

While no single candidate may embody all the qualifications below, an ideal candidate would possess many of the below experiences and skill sets.

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience with program or project management roles, preferably in related fields of sustainability and climate justice 
• Minimum of 3 years experience working in and with BIPOC communities; experience working at the intersections of power and privilege.
• Demonstrated experience with small and large group facilitation. 
• Experience providing leadership coaching on racial equity and inclusive practices. 
• Experience with centering equity in climate and sustainability practices and policies relevant to local governments.
• Experience working with or within local government is a plus.
• Experience designing, convening and supporting productive workshops and training, and/or experiencing coaching.

Desired Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong relationship-development and facilitation skills.
• Ability to think outside of the box and seek new equity-centered methods for supporting local government sustainability practices and policies.
• Ability to manage multiple complex programs and projects and multiple deadlines simultaneously.
• Ability to work independently and with team members in a collaborative and dynamic environment.
• Ability to work productively in an unstructured environment.
• Ability to design and facilitate productive workshops, brainstorming sessions, and training (virtually and in-person).
• Ability to work in uncertainty and ambiguity while assisting in sense-making. 
• Incredible active listening, verbal, coaching, and written communications.
• Storytelling ability and capacity. 
• Ability to design and develop program materials (in Adobe, on website, and with tools like Canva). 
• Ability to develop relationships and work across a diverse array of partners, colleagues, and communities.
• Proficient in digital and collaborative office tools including: Google Suite, Zoom, Slack, and Salesforce (or other Work Operating Systems).
• Ability to generate and implement support structures that take into account members’ diverse perspectives and changing conditions.

Terms of Employment: This is a full-time, regular, exempt position that reports to USDN Director of Direct Support and Innovation. The compensation for this position is expected to be in the range of $75,000 – $85,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications. USDN offers a robust benefits package, including 100% employer covered health, dental, disability and life insurance, flexible leave policy, generous paid leave, and 401(k) program.

Location: This is a fully remote, work-from-home position. USDN has no central office but staff collaborate via video calls and through periodic in-peron convenings. Employees must furnish their own quiet space for conference calls. USDN provides an IT stipend to cover internet and phone use, computer, software, and other home office supplies. Work hours: 9am-5pm Eastern, Central, Mountain, or Pacific Standard Times (flexible); 40 hours/week. This position requires some travel to for program delivery, approximately 10%.

Urban Sustainability Directors Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly encourage applications from qualified people of all gender expressions and identities, sexual orientations, racialized communities, Indigenous persons, veterans and persons with disabilities. Should you require accommodations through the application process, please let us know.

How to Apply

Application Instructions: We accept applications through an online application program. When you apply you will be prompted to provide your contact information, cut and paste your cover letter into a text field, and you will be prompted to attach your resume. You are welcome to attach your cover letter along with your resume, if you prefer. You will also be invited to complete a demographic questionnaire. Your responses to the questionnaire are kept separately from your application and help us to monitor and improve our recruitment and outreach efforts to ensure we are reaching a wide diversity of candidates. If you do not wish to provide responses, please select the option, "prefer not to answer."

Learn more about Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Accepting applications until March 11, 2023. Candidates are encouraged to apply early!

Job Categories: Sustainability. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: #facilitation, climate, innovation, program management, Remote Work, Social justice, and sustainability. Salaries: See posting for details.

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